Transcript

Trent isn't sure if it's his determination or grief that keeps him awake. He only knows two things: the Grim Underworld is real and that's where his Gilda awaits him.

A satchel of runestones props against the corner of his room; hundreds of spent runes are littered across the floor. Tomes of magical leylines and manuscripts describing legends of the Afterlife decorate his desk. Calculations etched in chalk line the walls of his room. Dishes and dirty laundry are spread throughout, though it has been days since Trent has least eaten or washed.

During their wedding, Trent promised his beloved that even death couldn't separate them. That's a promise he intends to keep. When an incurable illness turned Gilda's crimson hair sickly white, Trent knew that their time together was limited. There was no cure for Gilda's illness and all he could do is to comfort her...and follow her to wherever her spirit may go. Trent worked tirelessly on teleportation spells that would allow him to follow his beloved into the next life.

'Not even death can separate us,' they whispered to each other, tears soaked into their faces, as Gilda closed her eyes for the final time.

There is no time for grief; their separation is only temporary. Even at Gilda's funeral, Trent focused on the combination of runestones which would allow him to enter the Afterlife. Trent's academic resolve dammed the flood of anguish as he watched the body of his beloved lower into its final resting place.

Trent pores over his etchings, his gaze unfocused by hunger and fatigue, barely noticing that a week has passed since Gilda's burial. Momentary clarity cuts through the exhaustion as Trent lunges towards his pack of runestones, assembling an untested combination of runes before grabbing his waist pack. An incantation wills the arcane energies of the stones to life and Trent himself in the sweltering humidity of a Karamjan jungle.

Another failure.

Trent reaches into his waist pack, extracting a familiar combination of runes and teleports himself back home.

Trent flies into a rage as his house comes into focus, his wizened mind unravelling from anger. He grabs a handful of runes and breathes all his impotent fury into them. The stones crackle with power.

This is his most excruciating teleportation spell yet.

Trent awakens to dark, purple skies. Kneeling next to him is Gilda, her auburn locks cascading over him. Gilda searches for Trent's waist pack, containing the runes which grants him a teleport home after each experimental jaunt. Trent's gaze pierces into Gilda, her eyes widening with surprise before falling with acceptance. A sad smile snakes across her face as she helps Trent to his feet. The man she loves is as naked and ethereal as every other soul in this realm.

'Not even death can separate us,' Trent said with a smile.

Trent takes Gilda's hand into his own, guiding her as they cross the Noumenon Bridge together, taking the first steps into their journey of forever...